


First Kisses

by okayhotshot



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, This was written for a prompt on tumblr but i'm pretty proud of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-12
Updated: 2014-08-12
Packaged: 2018-02-12 19:17:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2121597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okayhotshot/pseuds/okayhotshot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times that Alistair kisses Jeanette leading up to their first real kiss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Kisses

The first time that Alistair kisses her, it really isn’t a kiss. It’s a soft touch of his lips against her hand as he mumbles a good night with his cheeks flaring red in the dim light of the fire.  It’s a small, fleeting peck that makes Jeanette wonder if his lips had actually touched her skin but she knows they have when a warm, tingling sensation takes residence in the very depths of her. It spreads through her body like wildfire and warms her tired, weary bones and makes her feel more alive than she has since she and Duncan fled Highever and Howe’s men in the dead of night. It’s the first time that Jeanette allows herself to harbor the notion that her fellow Grey Warden might feel something other than friendship for her. Up until he decidedly kisses her hand, coming back from the depths of his tent to do so, attaching a good night to the end of it like he almost forget the real excuse for coming back out to see her. There had to be something more too it. Alistair’s shy smile and his bright blush are definitive proof in her book.

The second time Alistair kisses her, she thinks that she’s falling apart. It’s after they made the trek to the Circle and made their way through the terrors of the Fade to the top of the tower and despite her best efforts, Jeanette wasn’t able to save the remaining mages. She wishes with everything in her that she had been able to do more, that she had gotten there in time, that she had said the right things. It’s tearing her to pieces. She can feel the weight of the entire thing tugging on her heart strings. She manages to hold it together as they make it back across Lake Calenhad and trudge their way a little further to make camp. She does her best to help even though her heart is breaking and the tears that keep threatening to fall are blurring her vision. Alistair keeps glancing at her. She knows that he knows that something is wrong.  She tries to avoid him as much as she can. She doesn’t really want to talk to anyone about this. Not yet at least. She doesn’t think that she could hold herself together long enough to get everything out anyway.

She offers to take first watch that night, thankful for the time that she will have alone when her companions agree. Once she’s sure that everyone is in their tents, she finally let’s her tears fall, but she gets more than she bargained for. They are practically flooding her face, and she can’t get a proper breath. She’s sure sobs are escaping her. She feels pathetic. She knew that death was necessary in these times. She should learn to be stronger than this, but here she is, falling apart at the seams when she’s supposed to be the one holding the group together. Suddenly, she knows she’s not alone anymore. The tears are straining her vision, so she isn’t sure who has joined her at first. Then a pair of strong arms pull her close and she feels safe, a sense of comfort washes over that she’s never felt before. She knows it’s Alistair. There’s something familiar about his presence. She’s never felt more relaxed around anyone. She nearly melts into him as he whispers words of comfort to her, and he lets her cry into his shoulder for who knows how long. When she’s finally exhausted all of her tears, Alistair presses a kiss to her forehead, it’s short and sweet, but longer than the kiss he left on her hand only a few short nights ago. Jeanette finally manages to remove her head from the crook of Alistair’s neck and glance up at him. All she can really do is offer him a small smile.

The third time that Alistair kisses her. It’s when Alistair is a little tipsy. Jeanette has to admit that she’s not surprised that Alistair is a bit of a lightweight. She can’t really talk. She’s never been able to drink much without getting drunk herself. She likes this side of Alistair. A little more carefree and not as shy. He approaches Jeanette and asks her to dance and she can hardly say no. It makes her heart flutter that he’s thinking of her when he’s in such a state especially when he could easily have any woman in the bar. But she knows that Alistair’s not like that. It’s one of the things she likes about him. Ever the gentleman even when his blood has turned to alcohol. She takes it outstretched hand and allows him to pull her to the middle of the tavern and the sway away to the soft sounds of music filling the small building, pretending, for a moment, that they don’t have a care in the world.

As they continue their dancing, Alistair leans in close to Jeanette. She can feel her breath hitch in the depths of her throat.  He lips are nearly grazing her skin, she can feel his hot breath tickling her neck as he attempts to whisper in her ear. She doesn’t even care about the stench of ale that hangs on his every word. All she cares about is what he’s saying.

“Jeanette,” he whispers as he twirls her once again, tugging her a little closer than before. “Can I tell you a secret?”

Jeanette feels her heartbeat increase. She can almost do nothing but give a short nod of her head, but she doesn’t think that Alistair will see. She somehow gets words to come tumbling out. “Sure, Alistair. You can tell me anything. You know that.”

He doesn’t pull away as he responds, almost too quickly to her answer. “I think…that you’re the prettiest girl in all of Thedas.”

His words are slurred, and he might be exaggerating, but Jeanette doesn’t care. She doesn’t think she’ll stop smiling until next week. Just when she thinks that it might not get any better, his lips come into contact with her cheek and linger for longer than they should, but she doesn’t care. Warmth blossoms from his lips, etches its way into her skin and plants itself in the very depths of her. She never thought a kiss on the cheek could make her heart thump out of control. She never thought one could hold such meaning. She dances with him until he’s slurring his words and stumbling over his own feet. She goes to bed with a smile on her face.

The fourth time he kisses her, she wonders if it really even happened. She’s half conscious, recovering from an injury when she hears rustling in her tent. Wynne has done everything she can and she’s in so much pain that she’s falling in between the real world and the blackness of her unconscious mind.

She think she hears him talking, his voice straining like he’s trying to keep his composure. She can’t hear what he’s saying. It all sounds like gibberish, but she does feel his hand in hers, giving it a soft squeeze and she does feel his heat as he leans over her and brushes his lips against hers. It’s timid, gentle and Jeanette barely feels it, but at the same time it’s all that she does feel. It’s almost as if the pain vanishes for a moment and all she can recall is his warm lips pressed against her own for the briefest of moments. When she wakes up, he’s gone and Jeanette wonders if maybe it was just a dream.

The fifth time he kisses her, the first time he _really_ kisses her, she’s fully awake, fully aware and prepared. It’s by the fire. They’ve just made camp. The night air is chilly, even for Ferelden weather. She isn’t sure if there’s a cold front or if it’s just the fact that they’re so close to the Frostbacks. The fire is warm and she openly welcomes it when Alistair boldly puts his arm around her as the gather around the flames attempting to get warm. He turns to face her, a smile playing at his lips and she gives him a questioning look. He suddenly looks nervous, almost like he’s afraid to tell her what’s on his mind, but he takes in a deep breath before choosing to speak.

“You know, I think I’m done beating around the bush with all of this,” Alistair tells her, reaching his free hand around to take hers, lacing his fingers between her own. “It has taken me awhile. But as you know, I was raised not to take these things lightly. I didn’t want to seem forward or like I was taking advantage of you when we’re going through a dark time. But I think you might feel the same way that I do. What I feel for you…I’ve come to care for you a great deal. I hope you know that.”

Jeanette thought that she wouldn’t live to see the day that Alistair actually admitted that he had feelings for her. She thought he might be shy about it forever, that she might have to say something before he did or just pretend that what’s going on between them isn’t something more than what they’ve been pretending it is. “I do know. I’ve been waiting for you to say something,” she says with a smile, giving his hand a squeeze. “If you want the truth, I’ve come to care for you too. I tried really hard not to, but something tells me this might be meant to be.”

Alistair doesn’t respond, he leans forward and captures her lips in a sweet kiss. Jeanette’s mind is reeling a million miles a minute as his hand comes up to cup her cheek, his thumb swipes across her cheek and his warm lips envelop hers in a way that makes her heart nearly stop. She doesn’t hesitate to return to favor and when they finally pull away, they’re both grinning like fools. She’s sure that at least some of their other companions saw their exchange, but she doesn’t care.

“Was that all right?” Alistair asks her nervously.

“I don’t know,” Jeanette says with a slight smirk. “I think I need more practice to be sure.”

Alistair chuckles. “I think that can be arranged,” and before Jeanette has the chance to respond, his lips have claimed hers once again.


End file.
